When we arrange the stars into constellations it helps us to map the sky
Click on image for full size
The Unchanging Sky
The unvarying aspect of the relationships of the
stars' positions may have suggested to the ancients something that was analogous to
their beliefs about the universe. It is not surprising that they chose to express
their beliefs metaphorically, believing that groups of stars, constellations, and
moving planets were associated with their deeply held stories of the creation,
sustenance, and destruction of the universe. Human beings, even now, use metaphor
to express deeply held beliefs, in the
poetry
and
art of societies.
In more modern times some of the ancient designations for star arrangements have remained, giving us a flavor
of what the world felt like when the sky was "closer". The names, positions and
groupings of stars help us to give order to the sky in our minds.
You might also be interested in:

Satellites in the 1960's looked for a type of light called Gamma Rays. They found bursts of Gamma Rays coming from outer space! They can't hurt you. They are stopped by the Earth's atmosphere. We have
...more
When we look up at the night sky, we notice that there are many stars in our sky. Stars must like to live together in star cities - galaxies. Our city of stars is called the Milky Way, and it is home to
...more
Neutron Stars form when really big stars die. When such a star runs out of fuel its center begins to collapse under gravity. When the center collapses the entire star collapses. The surface of the star
...more
Spiral galaxies may remind you of a pinwheel that blows in the breeze. Like a pinwheel, a spiral galaxy is rotating, and it has spiral arms. Through a telescope or binoculars,a spiral galaxy may look
...more
When stars like our own sun die they will become White Dwarfs. As a star like our sun is running out of fuel in its center it grows into a red giant. This will happen to our sun in 5 Billion years. The
...more
What's in a Name: Arabic for "head of the demon" Claim to Fame: Represents Medusa's eye in Perseus. A special variable star that "winks" every 3 days. Type of Star: Blue-white Main Sequence Star, and
...more
What's in a Name: Nicknamed the "Pup" because it is the companion to Sirius, "the Dog Star" Claim to Fame: Highly compressed white dwarf remnant. Density about 50,000 times that of water. It has approximately
...more